When it comes to choosing the next original series to indulge in, the abundance of shows across various platforms makes that choice difficult. Here, we try to make things a little less complicated with five reasons why your next binge watch should feature Amazon Prime Original Series, Mirzapur.

Whether you’re indulging in TV series on VOD platforms like Amazon Prime (https://www.amazon.co.uk) or Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/gb/) or beaming them into your telly via that all singing, all dancing digital antenna you installed after consulting the online experts at BestAdvisors.co.uk (https://www.bestadvisers.co.uk/tv-antennas), the abundance of choice makes it very difficult deciding what show to spend another 10+ hours of your life with. Thankfully, that’s why you’re here, and why you’re about to be introduced to your next binge watch.

Mirzapur, a gripping new nine-episode crime drama set in the heartland of India, arrives on Amazon Prime Video on November 16. Revolving around drugs, guns and the politics of power”, the web television series marks Amazon’s third fiction Indian Original after Inside Edge and Breathe.

Following two brothers who cross paths with the son of a Mafia don and are lured into a new sense of power, Mirzapur is an amped-up portrayal of India’s heartland and youth. It’s a world replete with drugs, guns, and lawlessness, where caste, power, egos and tempers intersect and violence is the only way of life.

Fazal even went to extremes to prepare for his role, indicative of Mirzapur’s raw authenticity. Fazal plays Guddu, a wannabe gangster eager to take control of local arms and drugs trading, who bulked up for the part at the producer’s request. In doing so, this led Fazal to discover underground fight clubs in Banaras, old Delhi and Lucknow.

He attended these “clans” under an assumed name to learn about fighting techniques from raw underground fighters. He even participated in two matches.

He told News18.com (https://www.news18.com): “I had to change my name to be able to enter those places. Shooting for Mirzapur has been scary, yet adventurous. I would not recommend this to others. To them, I’d say, try acting for a change and forget method. I just chanced upon underground fight clans in Banaras and Bhadohi during my research, where I picked up some tricks of the trade and it helped.”

2. Backed by Emmy Awards nominees

Created by Karan Anshuman and Puneet Krishna and directed by Gurmmeet Singh, Mirzapur is backed the successful producer-duo Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani.

3. A modern India

Mirzapur presents a compelling contemporary view of India while celebrating its true spirit. Characteristically homegrown, the drama possesses the hustle and bustle of its city streets, touches upon common challenges like the importance of power to small towns, while the characters have intrinsic qualities and traits of the real town of Mirzapur.

4. Terrific writing

Karan Anshuman, who has also written the much-acclaimed series Inside Edge, has done another stellar job with Mirzapur by coming up with impressive dialogue and capturing the dialect and feel of Mthe real town through his words.

Anshuman’s story sees an iron-fisted millionaire carpet exporter and the mafia don of the town alongside his son – an unworthy, power-hungry heir – who cross paths with an upstanding lawyer, and his sons, Guddu and Bablu.

This leads to a game of ambition, power and greed that threatens the fabric of the lawless city. With heart-pounding action, violence at an operatic scale, gangsters with sharp minds and dry humour, Mirzapur is a hinterland story that is as raw as it gets.

Says Anshuman: “Mirzapur is the perfect storm. The creative freedom Amazon Prime Video allows, Excel’s adroit production experience, an ensemble cast that takes an already fantastic script and owns it….this is a fine time for filmmakers and I’m looking forward to new collaborations.”

5. All episodes arrive on the same day

You don’t have to wait long to watch the second episode. In fact, you can watch every episode as soon as they drop on Amazon Prime Video on November 16.

“More importantly, we remain committed to taking stories from India that are local in narrative yet epic in scale to a global stage. If the global launches of Inside Edge, Breathe, etc. have taught us anything, it is that high quality Indian content has found resonance with audiences around the world and there is a growing appetite for the same.”

About the Author

Rory Fish has loved movies since he can remember. If he was to put together an "all time" top 10 of absolute favourites it would have to include North By Northwest, 12 Angry Men and Sunset Boulevard.

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